Career Jobs other than Airline/Corporate

[Chris123]

Hello all,

I'm just getting into the aviation industry and know there are different ways to make a career in aviation other than working at the majors.

Just curious if you know companies/flying jobs that people have made a career out of. Some folks work at Conair, float jobs, etc.

What are some good companies to settle with in the long term?

Thanks all

[Flyboy19803]

Crop spraying or Pipeline Patrol with a good company

[piperdriver]

I was under the impression pipeline patrol paid peanuts. Crop spraying pays well, but you need really good hands and feet and it is definitely more dangerous than most aviation jobs. It's not for everyone.

[digits_]

I was under the impression pipeline patrol paid peanuts. Crop spraying pays well, but you need really good hands and feet and it is definitely more dangerous than most aviation jobs. It's not for everyone.

Doesn't crop spraying often lead to health issues due to all the chemicals you're breathing in?

[DanWEC]

Bombing fires with any of the Provincial ministries or subcontractors is a terrific career. Varied aircraft, positions, just an amazing job for someone who likes to actually get out there and enjoy flying. The pay can be excellent for less than 6 months of work. Summer is the busy season but you still get proper vacations, and you have all winter to stay busy doing something else.
The OMNR likes a good bit of float time to get a foot in the door, SERM (SK) doesn't. I can't speak for Conair or other private contracts. Good way to start is to do a few seasons on floats or a summer on a 337.

[scdriver]

There are definitely career float jobs out west. Somewhere in the 70-120k per year range for pay. I would think working seasonally in other parts of the country would be an unpopular career job, but I’m sure some do it!

[Raglan Aviation]

Quoth the raven: “Nevermore”

[Marabrabant]

Of course, a pilot's career is quite attractive, but this profession has its drawbacks. You can't see your family often and in general getting married and having a baby can be quite a difficult problem. So I think you're right to look for alternative career options for yourself. Find out more about career options and training programs on this site, and perhaps one of these options will suit you, given the skills and predispositions you have. I wish you good luck and hope you succeed.

[co-joe]

There are quite a few decent jobs that a guy could be happy spending a full career on. I you don't mind living away from big cities especially. I've met several career medevac pilots in Alberta, literally 6 months a year off, low flying hours, low cost of living, low stress, short hops....

Firebombing, but Conair and Airspray have not kept up with inflation and in fact have significantly eroded the pay and benefits of a once amazing job and the caveat being you are gone all summer every summer. Divorce rates in that career path are ridiculously high.

Lots of people enjoy float flying enough to either do it seasonally, or follow open water around the globe. Crop sprayers are the same thing, they usually have to do other work the rest of the year but can't wait to get back to it every spring. Yes the chemicals are sketchy but the newer planes are pressurized and you don't have to breathe DDT all the time.

The cool thing is that over the next few year, anyone who has to scratch that airline pilot itch will have the chance and those 'stepping stone" jobs along the way will open up and if you decide to stick around you will be in a great spot.

[TeePeeCreeper]

Crop sprayers are the same thing, they usually have to do other work the rest of the year but can't wait to get back to it every spring. Yes the chemicals are sketchy but the newer planes are pressurized and you don't have to breathe DDT all the time.

*cough* what ag planes are pressurized????

Very curious to know!

TPC

[Adam Oke]

Sorry co-joe, but you couldn't be any more incorrect about aerial application. Most seasoned guys can and do afford 7.5 months of the year off, have never and will never fly a pressurized spray plane, most have never and will never apply DDT, and we do not work with "sketchy" chemicals.

The aerial application industry is very much a regulated industry and the majority of the pilots are professionals and trained to handle and apply in a safe and accurate manner.

[co-joe]

Sorry co-joe, but you couldn't be any more incorrect about aerial application. Most seasoned guys can and do afford 7.5 months of the year off, have never and will never fly a pressurized spray plane, most have never and will never apply DDT, and we do not work with "sketchy" chemicals.

The aerial application industry is very much a regulated industry and the majority of the pilots are professionals and trained to handle and apply in a safe and accurate manner.

I just assumed that you apply insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers, some of which are harmful to humans in direct contact. Honestly I have no idea what gets loaded into those hopper tanks. I had a job offer at a company in SK that has a fleet of sprayers, and met the owners who fly the King Airs to get by till next spray season which was why they were offering me a job at the time. If you can afford to take the off season and do something else then great. The point wasn't to shed a negative light on your industry, I'm sure you are a professional and I'm sure you do your best not to expose yourself to glyphosates or whatever you apply.